From the March 2011 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


To stay competitive, vendors are striving to be as efficient as possible in upgrades and installations. Rachon says an RF shielding upgrade averages two to four weeks, while a new shield installation typically takes four to six weeks.

Quieting down
Anyone who’s ever been around an MR system at work is likely to recall the loud and repetitive thumping or tapping noises the machine produces while performing a scan. Manufacturers are well-aware of the noise and are working on solutions for the problem, but in the meantime, facilities are taking advantage of sound absorption techniques in enclosure installations.
“The shielding industry is now being asked to provide acoustic treatments in their shields so that the noise of the magnet doesn’t necessarily disturb the surroundings of the hospital or the clinic,” says Imedco’s Krachon. “You can suppress some of that noise if you build certain techniques and materials into your shield to absorb the noise before it gets to other areas.”

Other vendors agree that sound abatement has become a very popular request from their customers and advise potential buyers to inquire about shield acoustics options upfront.

Minding the door
Over time, a building settling on its foundation can cause a tightly-shielded room to spring a leak. Even variations in temperatures throughout the year can cause shielding to expand and contract, which may result in the loosening of the seals between RF panels. But according to ETS-Lindgren’s Turner, an RF leakage can usually be pinpointed before a technician walks through the door, or to be more precise, it can be found at the door. “More often than not, if you have RF leakage, it is at the door because it’s the one thing that’s used all the time,” he says.

Because of the door’s constant use, some facilities’ shields may not even meet specs, but only really get noticed when artifacts start appearing in the MR images. “I’m sure there’s a number of existing sites that no longer meet specs because of the door, but the end-user has no way of knowing that,” says Turner.

To avoid issues with doors, vendors recommend a dose of diligent maintenance. Nelco’s Campedelli says a few months after an installation, facilities are usually attentive to door maintenance, but after a while, it falls by the wayside. Once the door becomes harder to open and close or some of the RF shielding materials are compromised, the door needs servicing. “Usually when something like that happens, it’s just a matter of giving the door a good cleaning or replacing the contents,” says Campedelli.

March 2011 Magazine

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